


Homeward Bound

by PorterHawk



Series: Bitty Bones Saga (my sad attempts at this AU) [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bittybones (Undertale), Being Lost, Caretaking, Darker then the first installment, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Just Wants to Go Home, Friendship, Gen, Grieving, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, More tags to be added, NO reader insert, Some Humor, Stranded, Theft, dealing with death, my second attempt at Bittybones, this will be a rough ride, why did I start this I can’t
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorterHawk/pseuds/PorterHawk
Summary: Two years ago, the skeletons accidentally created what are now known as Bitty Monsters. Cute, intelligent, and somehow very destructive six inch high versions of themselves. After many hardships they have all been moved and happily settled into their new sanctuary home.Nothing could be better, except when a twister barrels through town stranding several Bitties miles away in the wilds. Being so tiny in a massive unfamiliar world, these very different monsters must work together to find their way home, or die trying.Be prepared for friendship, angst, loss, killer house cats, and both the best of human kindness, and worst of abuse.
Series: Bitty Bones Saga (my sad attempts at this AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664839
Comments: 70
Kudos: 29





	1. Aftermath

Papyrus was driving as fast as he could within the speed limit, Sans watching the landscape as they passed storm damaged houses and trees. There had been a tornado late last night, and they had received word that a very special building was damaged.

“Looks like this area got hit pretty hard.” Sans grimaced seeing some houses that had been completely ripped from their foundations. There were already enough issues with downed trees and power lines blocking roadways, not to mention any displaced families. Luckily the monsters’ housing community had only suffered some flooding and minor damages, but the same couldn’t be said for this place.

“Don’t remind me! I’m nervous enough already!” Papyrus whined tapping his phalanges against the steering wheel.

“Nyeh!” A little Papyrus look alike poked its head out of Sans’ hood. 

“See, even Mini-me is worried!”

“Sorry little dude.” Sans reached back and gave the Bitty monster a reassuring pat on the head. “I’m sure all our friends made it out just fine.”

It was hard news for all of them. Two years ago the skeletons and their other dimensional alternates had accidentally created several thousand tiny clones of themselves at Alphy’s lab. That day the Bitty Monsters were born, and the lab was completely destroyed. Despite being just as intelligent as their larger counterparts they proved to be quite destructive, though they were also open to diplomacy. Sure, one of the little Bosses decided to try a world takeover plot by creating a Communist Russia inspired Bitty army and using the building as their home base, but he eventually decided to stop with some extra persuasion. Thankfully peace was soon brought between all of the Bitty infighting, and a lot of work had gone into creating a special home for them all. Now it could have all been destroyed in one fell swoop.

Thankfully it didn’t take too much longer to get there. They finally arrived at the entrance for the Bitty Sanctuary, seeing some of the downed trees along the path had already been moved. There wasn’t much issue pulling back to the main building, but seeing the extra activity Rus parked farther back.

“Oh stars!” Papyrus gasped finally getting a good look at the building. The Bitty Sanctuary had been heavily hit by the twister that came through. Though the main brick building only showed signs of some ripped up shingles and water damage, the greenhouse in the back was completely destroyed.

“Looks like they’ve already started taking head counts.” Sans murmured. Undyne was on scene, rescuing any trapped Bitties in the rubble of the greenhouse portion. Frisk was there too, helping Asgore and Toriel sort the skeletons as Alphy’s went through a checklist.

“We came as soon as we could, and the others are on their way!” Papyrus yelled, jogging over to help Undyne. Sans was careful to step around any Bitties standing around. Though most were calm, it was clear many of the Slims, Ruses and Baby Blues were shaken by the whole experience. Some little skeletons were crying out in search of their brothers and housemates, while the Bosses and Razzes were trying to keep everyone separated in their designated groups.

“What’s the damage so far Alphys?” Sans asked.

“W-Well, the worst damage had been done to the greenhouse. Thankfully most of the Bitties made it downstairs before the t-twister hit.”

”The keyword being most.” Sans looked over to see Rus pulling out two Bitties trapped under a glass pane.

“Doctor Alphy’s.” One of the Boss Bitties, Pointy, soluted. “We have ninety-seven percent of the Bitties accounted for.”

“T-that’s good, and there are still Bitties trapped in the greenhouse.”

“Let’s hope they’re all okay then.” The group went back to work, cleaning through as much of the greenhouse as possible. More monsters and humans soon arrived. Grillby and Muffet brought food to help feed the safe Bitties, while Gerson was helping to check over any injured ones.

“Good news everyone.” Toriel announced after hanging up her phone. “The local middle school will allow the Bitties to stay in their gymnasium until the Sanctuary is repaired. 

“Why that’s excellent news!” Papyrus smiled. “We should start moving them soon. Most of them are very tired.” He looked down to a group of Sansies and Lil Bro’s that were completely out cold.

“T-That should make head counting easier too.” Alphas agreed. “W-we’ll move them in groups of one hundred.”

“We Bosses aren’t going anywhere!” They all looked down to see two little Skeleton glaring up at them.

“And neither are we Razzes!” The other one added. “We will help with the search efforts! You can move everyone else while we work!”

“I’m sorry little ones, but it is far too dangerous for you to be crawling through all that rubble. You could get hurt.” Toriel explained taking a knee to be closer to them. 

“Tell that to the ones that already started.” Grumpy pointed over his shoulder. Indeed, the Razzes and Bosses were working together to move smaller bits of rubble like an assembly line. They passed pieces of wood and glass until they reached the Bitties at the end where the trash was swiftly sorted into piles. Even the Ruses and Baby Blues were getting involved. Working in teams of six to lift bricks and other larger pieces out of the way. 

“Huh. Really taking initiative aren’t they?” Sans scratched the side of his skull and chuckled. 

“Of course! We are the greatest skeletons in the world!”

“And the most magnificent!” Both Fell Bitties posed triumphantly.

“Well… if you insist.” Toriel sighed in defeat. “Just be vocal so the other volunteers know you're there.” Both Bitties soluted and rushed to join their brethren. “In the meantime, Sans, Alphys and I will work on transporting the Bitties to their temporary home.” A tug at her sleeve made her pause, looking down to see Frisk with several little Bitties on their head and shoulders. “Of course my child. We shall need your help too.”

The two groups got to work with their designated task. Many trips were made to and from the Sanctuary as the Bitties were carried to their temporary home, while the other volunteers kept working on searching the greenhouse. It was a massive operation, but thanks to all the volunteer workers they managed to sort through a good chunk of the building before sunset.

“We’ll have to stop soon. It’s getting dark.” Asgore sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow.

“But we’re still missing some of the Bitties!” Papyrus added nervously. “We can’t just leave them buried.”

“It’s not safe to work in this rubble when we can’t see though. Frisk also needs to rest.” The goat monster motioned to an exhausted Frisk sleeping against a tree. The Bitties that hadn’t been moved to the school yet were either hanging around them or still trying to help search the greenhouse. Everyone was hungry, exhausted, and filthy. They couldn’t continue for much longer.

“Don’t worry Bro. We’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning.” Sans yawned, cracking his soar spine. “And we can’t let the little guys get lost in the dark. They all need a safe place to rest.”

“I-I suppose you have a point.” Papyrus conceded. 

“Alright Punks! We’re packing it up!” Undyne ordered. The volunteers trudged their way out of the debri, some of them carrying tired Bitties or salvageable items. The Bosses and Razzes all congregated around the cars waiting to be taken to the school, while a few of the others did final checks to make sure none of the Bitties had wandered or fallen asleep somewhere.

“Excuse me!” Papyrus looked down to see one of the Bitties being loaded into his convertible. It was a Baby Blue, and they were filthy from the search efforts. 

“D-did you find my brother?” The little Baby Blue asked worriedly. “He didn’t make it to the basement level last night, and I couldn’t find him in the transport groups.”

“I’m sorry little friend, but everyone we found is either in the cars or at the school.” Papyrus answered, but tried to recover when the Bitty started tearing up. “B-but we will be searching again first thing in the morning! I promise we will find him!” 

“Yes we will!” Mini agreed, jumping off of Rus’ shoulder and comforting the Baby Blue. His efforts helped a little bit, the Baby Blue wiping back his tears and joining Mini with some others in a basket. The larger monster couldn’t help but look at the darkening rubble as the sun finally set. He hoped any more trapped Bitties would be able to survive the night. It was genuinely difficult to leave now, but they had to help who they could.

Sans hoped in the front passenger seat as Papyrus started his car, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry Bro. I have a feeling the missing Bitties will be fine for a few hours. They're pretty tough after all.”

“I hope you’re right Sans. I really do.”

XxxxxxxxxxxX

“Stars dammit!” The little Edgy cursed trying to move the broken piece of ceiling trapping him in a closet, the Bitty he was with still unconscious but in one piece. 

It had been pure chaos. Once those storm sirens went off all the Razzes and Bosses rallied the others into action. They had to make sure the Bitties in the greenhouse made it downstairs safely. There were storm warnings on the news, but never a mention of tornadoes. Hell, he didn’t even know they happened in this country! 

Last night he was helping to evacuate some of the dollhouses when the twister hit. He and the little Sansy he was with both wedged themselves into the tiny closet when the nails started ripping. The little wooden structure was launched into the air and went flying to who knows where. Everyone was screaming, he and the Sansy were clutching each other for dear life when they finally hit something hard. It was horrible, pitch black except for the flashes of lightning once the rains started again. They must have been caught in a tree because the damn dollhouse kept rocking from the wind and rain throughout the night.

He never thought it would end, and at one point the Sansy went slack in his arms. He was afraid, helpless, and the thought of this little Bitty dusting with him was too much to bear. He was rattling and screaming against the winds until his cries finally started to overpower the dying gale. After an eternity the storm had stopped, and now daylight was finally seeping through the door cracks. 

Now the Edgy was doing his best to break his way through the door without harming the Sansy. It was exhausting work, trying to use little bone attacks to destroy the hinges. He finally got the door loose but there was something else blocking him from breaking through. 

“Screw it!” He kicked the wood before collapsing onto the floor with the other Bitty. If he knew the other room was intact he would have just teleported the two to safety, but with the door blocked that probably meant major damage to the rest of the house. He could teleport  
them both inside a broken segment or wall without knowing the new layout, and the thought of dying inside a wall was too scary to consider.

They were trapped.

“Sorry bud.” He chuckled dryly to his unconscious companion. “I couldn’t get us out safely.” He sat there in silence for who knew how long, dozing off occasionally only to snap awake still trapped in the closet. 

“Stars dammit…” He grumbled tiredly, eventually jumping at a sudden massive cracking noise. Spinning around he heard the wood being snapped and torn apart. It was only a few minutes until the culprit ripped the door off. He was a tall familiar Boss Bitty that everyone was well acquainted with. The former leader of the Boss Army, Big Boss.

“Name?” Big Boss questioned seeing the conscious Bitty was okay.

“Jaws.” The Edgy answered. Jaws went through the doorway seeing that a large part of the living room was partially smashed into a tree trunk with sticks and branches poking through the windows. 

“Who is this Sansy?” Big Boss asked next, checking the little skeleton’s cracked skull and broken collarbone.

“Not sure. I was just tryin’ ta get him downstairs when shit hit the fan.” The Boss Bitty nodded in understanding, carefully scooping up the Sansy and carrying him through the front door.

“Watch your step.” He ordered before jumping to an adjacent branch. Jaws looked outside to see they were indeed high up in a tree. They had to be at least ten feet off the ground and the house wasn’t too stable between the branch and tree trunk it was wedged in. He teleported to the branch with Big Boss, seeing they weren’t alone. Two Slim Bitties were also there, both looking tired and beat up after the storm. One of them had a chip in the side of their skull, and the other was just muddy.

“Where’d ya guys come from?” Jaws questioned looking at their small group of oddballs.

“We were helping evacuate when the twister hit.” The muddy Slim explained. “We took cover in one of the houses, but we got flung pretty far.”

“I spotted your house not far from where we landed. Course we weren’t in a tree.” The other Slim shrugged pointing in the direction they came from. 

“Were there any other Bitties in the house?” Big Boss asked getting right back to the point.

“I think I heard a Rus screamin’ when we went flyin’, but nothin’ since.” Jaws scratched the back of his skull nervously. Stars, he hoped that Rus was alright.

“There wasn’t anyone else in the house when I searched.” Big Boss said thoughtfully. “Courier, stay with the Sansy.” The Slim with the chipped skull nodded. “Bandit, Jaws and I will search the immediate area. I’ll take the ground while you two the tree.” The Fellverse Bitties quickly split up, Jaws taking the southern half of the upper limbs while Bandit took the north. 

It was a mess that’s for sure. Branches were broken and bent in all sorts of directions. He could see some rogue roof shingles and debri littering the ground below too. There weren’t too many other trees in the immediate area thankfully, so spotting a little skeleton in a bright red scarf wouldn’t be too hard.

At least that’s what he thought until he spent the next two hour looking around the tree and the landscape. This wasn’t good. If they couldn’t find the little Rus his chances of actually surviving were low. How could a Rus be this hard to find?!

“Jaws, we’re ending the search.” He turned to see Big Boss not far away. He looked grim.

“Why?” His question was answered when Big Boss pulled out a tattered wet scarf from his inventory. “I found it in a thorn bush to the east.”

“So he's dead?” Jaws growled already feeling his soul drop.

“Most likely. It was tangled in the twigs, so I believe something big was chasing him, and the dust I found confirmed it.” Jaws just cursed under his breath. If he wouldn’t have been trapped in the closet then maybe he could have saved that Rus. He didn’t like this one bit, and Big Boss’ odd level of calm was really unsettling. In the two years of their existence Jaws had never seen him not yelling or fighting for attention.

Then again, it was hard to stand out in a world where literally hundreds of the same clones lived together every day, all of them with the same voice and ego.

“Come on. I’ll go find Bandit.” He passed the scarf to Jaws and proceeded to jump through the wood jungle with ease. Jaws just teleported back to Courier and the unconscious Sansy. Courier’s sockets widened at seeing the ownerless scarf.

“I-is that-“

“Yeah... He’s gone.” Jaws sighed tucking the scarf away. Stars this would be hard news to break when this Sansy woke up.

If he woke up. That crack across his skull looked really serious. The two sat in silence, Courier picking at the ulna nervously while the minutes ticked by.

“Would you stop that! It’s annoyin’.” Jaws snarled. That only got a nervous whimper from the other Bitty.

“W-what are we gonna do?” Courier whispered. “We’re going to die out here aren’t we? Just like that Rus!”

“Would you shut up-“

“I should have stayed at Stretch’s house… Why did I have to spend the weekend at the Sanctuary?!” The little Slim cried.

“Pull yourself together!” Jaws hissed, slapping him upside the head. “We can’t afford ta panic right now!” Courier nodded shakily, still clearly upset but trying to get on Jaw’s level of calm.

“Well, Bandit decided he'd do some more surveillance. It would seem home is out of sight.” Big Boss jumped down from the top of the tree to join the others on their branch. 

“So which way is home then? Do you even know?” Jaws questioned. Big Boss scoffed in response.

“It doesn’t matter! I will get us back in one piece.”

“Will ya? Cuz last time ya tried ta lead somethin’ your entire plans were foiled by Asgore in a Santa suit!”

“Shut up!” Big Boss snarled, nearly knocking Jaws from the branch. “I said I’ll handle it!”

“We really are gonna die!” Courier cried curling up into a small ball.

“W-would ya be quiet…” Everyone stopped at hearing a weak voice. They all looked down seeing the injured Sansy was finally stirring.

“We‘ll continue this later.” Big Boss growled stepping towards the main trunk and leaning against it. 

“W-what happened?” The little Sansy groaned.

“Good mornin’ sleepin’ beauty.” Jaws greeted. The Sansy just sat up with a groan, lifting a hand to the massive crack in his skull before pulling away from the pain. “Storm hit us dead center last night. Afraid we weren’t lucky enough ta get ya downstairs.” He just glanced around the group questioningly.

“What’s your name?” Courier started.

“... Joker.”

“Well at least he’s coherent.” Jaws sighed. That was a small relief in this huge mess.

“W-where’s my bro?” 

Jaws and Courier both grimaced at the question. 

“We… searched the area for him, but this was all we found.” Jaws presented the dirty red scarf to Joker. His eyelights went out at the sight.

“Y-you're joking with me… right? My bro can’t be…” His voice broke at the last word, and all he could do was clutch the scarf tightly to his face. Courier leaned over and rubbed Joker’s shoulder in an effort to comfort him, but it wasn’t helping much.

Jaws and Big Boss looked away, both feeling disappointed and angry in themselves. They had tried to get as many Bitties as they could out, but some of them got trapped in the houses when the tornado hit. Now they were miles away from home with who knew how many dead Bitties that they couldn’t help in time.

“We can’t stay here.” Big Boss decided. “It’s time to get moving.”

“B-but Jokers hurt.” Courier whimpered. “Is he safe to move?” The Sansy in question didn’t even react, just pulling his hood up and wrapping the scarf around his neck.

“We don’t have much choice. It won’t be safe once the sun sets.”

“Which way should we even go? We’re in the middle of nowhere!” Jaws kicked the tree’s main trunk in frustration. Everyone was quiet for a moment, only for Bandit to teleport onto the branch. He was panting trying to catch his breath.

“Report.” Big Boss ordered. The little Slim quickly soluted. 

“Sir! I’ve located another lost dollhouse about three hundred feet west from here. There appear to be survivors.”

“Then we know our next move.” Big Boss glanced at everyone expectantly, his eyelights pausing on Joker. He walked closer and looked down at him, his straight face masking any emotion he was feeling. 

“Can you walk?” His question didn’t get a verbal answer, only a small shake of his head. Big Boss didn’t say anything, simply bending down and offering his back to him. It took a minute but Joker eventually crawled on, Big Boss standing up straighter and making sure the Sansy was secure. He nodded to his fellow Fell Bitties, the three all teleporting to the tall grass below while Bigs slowly rode a blaster so Joker wouldn’t be too shaken. Upon landing his attention fell to Courier and Bandit.

“I’ll need you two to help guide us. The grass is too tall to see over.” The Slims both nodded, each summoning a blaster and using them to lead the way. Everyone walked in silence, sometimes needing to climb over some downed branches or teleport around bodies of water that the taller monsters would call puddles. Everything was bigger when under six inches in height, and a lot more dangerous too. This was not a good place to be, and all the other Bitties clearly felt the same. 

As they made their way closer to the downed dollhouse, they could feel the air getting heavier. 

Bitties were crying.

They broke through a thick patch of tall grass finding their target. It was a hard sight to look at.  
There was a one armed Lil Bro with his face buried in the jacket of an absent Edgy, while a Boss with a large scrape up the side of his jaw tried treating the wound. The heartbreaking cries were coming from inside the dollhouse.

The others went to check with the Bitties outside while Jaws approached the house cautiously. It was a Baby Blue crying, and the sound was enough to twist his soul. 

“What happened?” Bandit asked nervously.

“They're… dead. They’re all dead!” The Stretch broke down crying even harder while Bandit got a hard glare from the other Boss Bitty. Joker tapped Big Boss’ shoulder to get his attention, giving him a tired nod. Big Boss set him down on the other side of the Lil Bro leaning into him and quietly crying himself. The two hugged and mourned together, which was more than Jaws could handle. It couldn’t be worse then what was happening inside.

Jaws peeked through what was once the door frame, finding a Razz Bitty standing a few inches away from the crying Baby Blue. He glanced back to Jaws tiredly, motioning to a thick branch that pierced through the plastic wall. Underneath it a good amount of dust was scattered about the floor. The Baby Blue was sobbing inconsolably into an orange hoodie.

Stars dammit. 

They were all boned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the coronavirus outbreak has been good for my productivity at least. Now I’m staying home instead of doing other things, so you all get a new story instead!
> 
> This is a sequel to another work I made several years ago, so it strays from what others would consider the cannon Bittybones universe. I tried to summarize the last story but it may help to understand things better if you read it.
> 
> I’ll continue if you all want to see more, so comment if you liked it!
> 
> PS: let me know if you got any name suggestions for the Lil Bro, Baby Blue and Razz Bitties.


	2. Hitting Rock Bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lost group takes stock of the situation, and our Fell Bitties learn the importance of hugs.

The Razzy watched Jaws carefully, Jaws himself doing the same. This other version was covered in potting soil, bits of it stuck in his neck and elbow joints, even staining his bandana. He was fighting to keep his sockets open, and he’s pretty sure the other Bitty was hiding several cracked ribs under his shirt. Out of all the Bitties so far, this Razzy looked like he had the roughest go of getting here. 

Well, aside from the dead ones.

The Baby Blue didn’t notice Jaws’ presence, continuing to cry harder. The Razzy flinched at a particularly harsh sob, looking down at his fellow Bitty like he wanted to help but not knowing how, other than to stand close to him. 

He motioned towards the wall where the other Bitties had congregated, a clear sign to Jaws that he should leave. Deciding to follow instructions he joined the rest of his group with the two new Bitties. Joker and the Lil Bro were hugging and trying to comfort each other, while the new Boss Bitty was looking at the ground with his arms crossed trying to keep his breathing under control. Jaws could tell he was very upset, possibly on the verge of breaking down.

He must have lost someone too.

“So how many survivors are with you?” Big Boss asked his fellow Fell Bitty. It took a moment for the other to respond.

“This Lil Bro and the Baby Blue were the only other ones to survive the landing… the Razzy found us a couple hours ago.”

“I see.” Big Boss said thoughtfully. “And you haven’t tried finding your way back or scouting the area?” The other Boss Bitty looked like he was going to snap before remembering who he was talking to. He looked down shamefully.

“N-no sir.” He mumbled. Big Boss narrowed his sockets, but sighed in understanding.

“At ease then. You did well to keep the Tale Bitties alive for this long.” The other Bitty nodded and looked away, forcing Bigs to leave the new ones alone and reconvene with Jaws. “How many were in the house?”

“Two that I saw. At least one dead one.” Jaws murmured. “It’s pretty rough in there.” Big Boss scratched his chin thoughtfully.

“I don’t think Joker will be able to travel much further, none of these Bitties are in good enough shape to move.”

“So what should we do?” Jaws growled. This whole thing was a stress inducing headache and he just wanted to lay down.

“We need to go, we can’t stay here.” Big Boss stated looking at the setting sun.

“But wouldn’t that mean abandonin’ the others? What about em?”

“Let me think for a moment.” Bigs mumbled. Jaws waited impatiently for a reply. The Boss Bitty was considering his options very carefully. This was a matter of life and death now. 

“I’ll stay behind.” Both Fell Bitties turned to see the Razzy. He had finally stepped out of the house to offer his opinion.

“So you're the other one Jaws mentioned.” Bigs commented. The Razzy was beat up and filthy just like all the others, but he didn’t seem as broken as his companions. He stood up straight looking at the other group tiredly, but his mind made up.

“You should go on without us. We'll catch up later on.”

Big Boss looked to him with a perked brow bone. This Razzy was the only one in his group currently functioning. Even their Boss Bitty was beyond contributing much, still trying to fight back his own tears. “Are you sure? If this place floods you will all drown.” 

“Don’t worry about us. I can take care of them until they are ready to move.” The Razzy grinned reassuringly. “Maybe you can send some help if you all survive? I’m not sure how far a few of them can travel.”

“We will.” Big Boss nodded. “By the way, what is your name?” 

“Sarge.” He answered with a small grin. “The Magnificent Sarge to be exact.”

“I’ll remember that. Best of luck to you.”

“Likewise.” The two Fell Bitties shook hands firmly before Big Boss turned back to the others. 

“Everyone. We’re going.” Jaws watched as Bandit and Courier fell in line without question. He couldn’t help but turn back to see Joker and the others, sitting against that broken dollhouse like the world was already over. He hated to admit it, but the sight made his soul twist in a painful way. He didn’t want to abandon them. The only one really able to defend the group was that Razzy, maybe the Boss Bitty if he could pull himself together. Everyone else was too injured or distraught. 

This wasn’t right!

“Bigs!” Jaws ran in front of Big Boss blocking his way. “We can’t leave em like this.”

“Stand aside welp. They’ve made their decision.” 

“Are you seriously okay leavin’ em here? If a raccoon or house cat gets to em they don’t stand a chance.” Big Boss grimaced at Jaws’ words.

“I-I kind of agree…” Courier tapped his phalanges together nervously. “I feel bad leaving Joker behind.”

“You want us to carry him the whole way?” Bandit asked. “We could try, but that would slow us down. And what about the others?” Big Boss looked between his little group and Sarge’s, his sockets narrowing in thought. The sun would be setting in a few hours, and they didn’t have much time left.

“So the majority vote is to not abandon them. Am I correct?” Everyone nodded resolutely, even Bandit after seeing how dead set Courier and Jaws felt. “Perhaps… some food would help get them moving?” Big Boss continued. Jaws looked up to the Boss Bitty, his sockets wide. He didn’t expect him to agree. “Does anyone have any food on them?” 

“I-I have some Sweet Tarts.” Courier pulled out three round candy pieces from his inventory. Bandit looked to the side guiltily but eventually relented. He pulled out a little wrapper of mostly eaten Smarties, five of the little candy pieces remaining. Big Boss could only grin.

“Excellent. Now go feed the others. Bandit, be sure to save a few pieces in case of an emergency.” The two Slim Bitties nodded, teleporting back over to the little group and passing out their candies. Sarge seemed surprised by their return, but he wasn’t denying the offer of food either.

“Thanks Bigs.” Jaws sighed in relief. Big Boss just stood up straighter.

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m leaving you to help the Baby Blue inside with calming down. Perhaps you can assist in collecting his companion’s dust? We will need to spend the night in that dollhouse.”

“Seriously?!” Jaws gawked. “Why me?”

“Because you aren’t a Papyrus.” He said it as if the answer was obvious. “We’ve wasted too much time, so we won’t be able to find a new shelter before sunset. Our only choice is to make do with what we have. Now go help the Baby Blue.” He shoved Jaws when he didn’t move right away.

“Alright alright! Asshole…” Jaws growled stomping towards the house angrily before the quieter cries reached him. He slowed his pace then, glancing inside to see the Baby Blue was now weeping into the hoodie, only letting out the occasional sob to breath. 

This was going to be tough.

“Hey kid.” Jaws approached carefully. 

“Go away…” The Baby Blue whispered. He just walked a little closer, still not too sure what to do. This would've been far easier for a Taleverse Bitty, but the ones they had were out of commission. He eventually decided to sit on the plastic flooring next to him.

“The name is Jaws. I don’t think we’ve met before.” The little skeleton looked up and sniffled.

“S-Sky…”

“That’s a nice name.” Jaws tried. He looked down to the dust next, still spread around the floor where the Lil Bro had been crushed. “What about your bro?”

“R-R-Rust-“ He sobbed even harder. That wasn’t the way to go.

“Okay okay! Please stop cryin’.”

“B-b-but he… he-“ Sky was on the verge of another breakdown, and they didn’t have the time for that. 

Jaws tapped his phalanges together nervously. He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. “Do ya want a… a… hug?” He cringed a bit at the last word, looking over to Sky seeing massive watery blue eyelights.

“YESSSSS!” Sky dove on top of him and balled even harder, gripping the other Bitty for dear life. Jaws tensed unsure what to do, eventually wrapping his own arms around Sky and patting his back. He didn’t have anything left to say. Hell, he’d probably make it worse trying to say something at this point. For the time being he just waited, letting the Baby Blue get it out of his system. Thankfully he’d spent most of his energy crying earlier, so it didn’t take too long for his sobs to turn into manageable hiccups. 

“Feelin’ better?”

“N-not really…” Sky sniffled. Jaws looked back down to the remains of the other Bitty. He knew what had to be done, he just really didn’t want to do it.

“Do ya think we should collect Rust’s dust now? I’m sure he’d like it spread somewhere. Have any ideas?” Thankfully Sky took the suggestion better than Jaws’ earlier question.

“H-he always liked sunbathing near the greenhouse baths… Such a lazybones.”

“That sounds like a great place. Do ya have anythin’ ta carry him in?” Sky had to think for a moment, nodding and slowly standing upright.

“I-if it hasn’t blown out of the house, then yes.”

“Go grab it then. I’ll start here.” The Baby Blue nodded, quickly rushing for the cracked staircase. Jaws just looked to the dust and sighed, cringing a bit as he tried pushing it into a scoopable pile. Thankfully it wasn’t too far spread, and the smooth plastic flooring made it easy for collecting. It didn’t take long to get it all together, and by then Sky had returned. He was now wearing his brother’s hoodie along with a purple Barbie doll sized backpack. In his hands was a heart shaped locket, small for a human but a good sized purse for a Bitty. Sky looked down at it fondly.

“H-he always tried to sell things like this at his little shop stands.”

“That sounds about right.” Jaws smiled, remembering his own love for scamming other monsters with pocket lint. Sky laid the locket down and opened the cover, helping Jaws scoop the Bitty’s dust up and transferring it to the container. It took a few minutes, but they managed to get nearly all of it in. Sky removed the backpack and took out the locket’s chain, wrapping it around the metal loop and creating a thick strap. Jaws raised his brow in confusion, only to see the Bitty throw it over his shoulder like a messenger bag.

“That’s pretty creative kid, but wouldn’t that be safer in your inventory?” Jaws questioned. Sky clutched it tightly while looking away.

“Y-yes… but I want him to be with me… s-sorry, that probably doesn’t make any sense.”

“Nah, I get it.” Jaws really didn’t, but he wouldn’t argue with Sky’s mourning process. “Then why do ya need the backpack?”

“I got this for that Edgy’s dust. I’m pretty sure his name was Nibbler.” He whispered, pulling out a two milliliter sample container with a snap lid. “I-I thought his Boss might want to carry him back home too.”

“That’s real thoughtful of ya.” Jaws smiled. So the new Boss Bitty was brothers with the Edgy that Lil’ Bro was mourning. That somehow made his soul ache even more. “Where’s he at?” Sky wordlessly led him up the stairs where the ceiling had been completely smashed in. Below it was a good amount of dust scattered across the floor. 

“He pushed that other Lil Bro out of the way.” Sky murmured. “He wasn’t completely out of the damage zone though.”

“I noticed.” Jaws thought back to the little skeleton outside missing his forearm. “He’s not your house mate?” Sky shook his head.

“No, I don’t even know his name. The Lil Bro had stopped by to visit my brother, they had recently become friends. I was on my way home when the sirens went off…” Sky wiped a few more tears forming in his sockets. Jaws just nodded and got to work. The less this kid could think about last night the better. He did his best to gather the other… him up into a dust pile, waiting for Sky to present the container and transferring the remains. By the time they were done the floors were clean, while Jaws’ hands were now covered in dust instead. He felt disgusting and dirty, but he did his best to keep that feeling hidden.

“Let’s check on the others.” He said hoping to wipe his phalanges clean on some grass. Sky nodded and carried the backpack gently, the two exiting the battered dollhouse and turning the corner. The sun was casting an orange hue now as it dipped below the tree line. Joker was still there, clutching that scarf and sleeping on Courier’s shoulder. Big Boss and that Razzy we’re talking to each other in hushed voices, while Bandit sat by the sad Lil Bro. He was still holding that Edgy’s black jacket closely. Sky flinched back seeing the Lil Bro, averting his eyes and quickly walking over to Courier.

“E-excuse me.” Sky asked. The other Bitty eventually looked up tiredly. “Where did that other Boss Bitty go?” He pointed over to a thick patch of long grass a few feet away. The Boss was sitting faced away from the others, his arms wrapped around his knees and the collar on his leather jacket popped up to hide a bit of his face. Sky gazed at him nervously, a slight tremble in his hands.

“Somethin’ wrong?” Jaws asked. Sky looked down to the backpack, then back at Jaws.

“C-could you come with me?” He had to take a step back at the question. Did Sky forget that Jaws was literally the spitting image of his deceased brother? Seeing him would probably make things worse. Then again, he didn’t want to leave the Baby Blue hanging, especially since they finally had a shaky form of trust.

“I’ll follow, but l think it’s best I keep some distance.” Sky nodded, seeming happy with the compromise. He walked slowly towards the Bitty while Jaws followed from a slight distance. He was sure to stop before he got within eyesight of the Boss Bitty.

“H-hello there.” Sky stuttered, coming up beside him. The Bitty wiped his sockets and glared at his surprise guest. “My name is Sky. I-I don’t know your name, but your brother was Nibbler, yes?” The Boss’ sockets widened which was all Sky needed to see. “I have my brother's dust here, and I wanted to bring it back home to spread in a nice place. I thought maybe you would like to do the same?” He took the container of dust from the backpack and passed it to the other. “We could carry their dust together. I’m sure they would like that, since they were so close and everything…” he trailed off realizing how badly the Boss Bitty had started trembling. Jaws knew where this was headed.

“A-are you okay? Sorry, that was a dumb question. I know you're not. I’m not either, but-“ The Bitty dropped the vial and sprinted off into the dense grass, trying to keep his sockets covered with a sleeve. “W-wait! Don’t run away! Where are you going?!” 

Jaws didn’t hesitate, porting into the grass trying to keep the other in sight.

He wasn’t going to scoop any more monster dust today, that was a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things should start getting better in the next chapter, so if you thought this was a downer then it can only go up from here! Gotta think positive haha
> 
> Comment if you enjoy! It always makes my day.


	3. Got Your Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two of the Bitties are temporarily separated from the main group, ending up confronted by an unexpected attacker.
> 
> Meanwhile those in the main group have a heart to heart, or close enough to it.
> 
> Plus some chapter art because why not.

“Wait! Come Back!” Sky cried to no avail. Everyone stopped what they were doing, Big Boss and Sarge rushing to his side.

“What happened?” Big Boss demanded.

“I-I thought he would like to carry his brother's dust, b-but he just dropped it and ran off!”

“He ran away?” The Lil Bro asked, making his way over. He was still clutching the jacket tightly.

“I’ll get him back!” Sarge ran into the grass after them, only for Big Boss to hold his soul with blue magic.

“Hold on! We don’t need anyone else getting lost in the dark. Let’s make a plan first.” The Razzy turned around growling, but he ultimately calmed at the others' words.

“Where’d that Edgy go anyway?” Sarge tried instead looking around for the absent Sans.

“J-Jaws went after that Boss Bitty. I didn’t even know his name…” Sky trailed off.

“His name is Grim.” The Lil Bro said guiltily. He gripped the black jacket a little tighter and grimaced. “He was acting so strong and put together… I was so wrapped up in myself I didn’t stop to think about his feelings…”

Everyone went quiet for a moment, until Big Boss finally came to a decision. “We shall all stay here. Jaws will handle bringing Grim back.”

“Are you serious?! It’s night time and who knows what that Boss Bitty is thinking!” Sarge yelled confused by his statement.

“And it will be very easy to get lost in the dark.” Bigs continued. “It’s not worth risking the lives of any more Bitties. You may not know Jaws well, but I can tell you from experience that he’s a reliable Edgy, when he wants to be anyway. He’ll bring him back, and both will be alive.” Sarge and Sky stared up at him incredulously, but Big Boss seemed confident in his decision. Eventually the Razzy let out a defeated sigh.

“Fine, we shall do it your way. But we should have someone signaling a blaster into the air, at least so they can find their way back.”

“Good idea.” Big Boss agreed. “We can also start patrolling the perimeter every thirty minutes, in case they come back needing assistance.” Sarge nodded. They both seemed to be on the same page, and Sky couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“B-but- how could you leave them like this?! What if-“

“It’s okay little guy.” The Lil Bro said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder while gripping the jacket with his stump. “Bigs was an army general after all. I have a feeling he knows what he’s talking about. Besides, we have some monsters in real need of healing, if you are able at least.” Sky startled at the news.

“There are more injured Bitties and no one said anything?!”

“It’s more that you needed space to calm down.” He shrugged. “I’ll show you where he’s at. Poor guys not doing too well.” The Lil Bro led Sky back to the dollhouse after he put the dust away, the shorter having to look down. It’s not that he wanted to be rude to the Lil Bro, but it was like watching his brother come back from the dead, even though he knew this wasn’t him. This was just a stranger with the same face, and come to think of it he actually didn’t know this Bitty’s name.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t introduce myself earlier. My name is Sky.”

“Loki.” The Lil Bro grinned. “The injured one is called Joker, and the Slims are Courier and Bandit. They’re a bit hard to tell apart.” Sky nodded his understanding but didn’t have anything to add after. They stayed quiet until finally approaching the injured Bitty.

“How’s he holding up?” Loki questioned. The Slim Bitty looked up nervously.

“Not good.” He motioned to the Sansy in his lap. The Bitty’s face was flush with blue magic, and his face was contorted in pain. Loki gently pulled back his hood so Sky could examine the massive crack. It was big and nasty looking, and made Sky a little queasy just looking at it. He did his best to swallow the feeling, kneeling down and flooding the wound with healing magic.

“How did he survive this?” Sky questioned trying to hide a grimace.

“Don’t know. Pure luck I guess.” Courier shrugged. “The guy lost his Rus in the storm though, so I guess that depends on what you consider lucky.”

“Hey, I think he’s waking up.” Loki commented when the Sansy let out a pained groan. Joker forced his sockets open, focusing in on Sky for a moment.

“I-It feels like every time I wake up… I start seeing double.”

“I guess you wouldn’t be wrong there.” Sky gave a small grin. “There’s nine of us now.” Seven if the others never came back.

“At least we get to be in decent company. looks like we’ll be spending the night here.” The Lil Bro murmured. That gave Sky an idea.

“Courier, and… Bandit right?” The muddy Slim Bitty in question nodded. “Could the two of you collect any dry pieces of grass you can find? That way we won’t have to sleep on a hard floor.” Both of them nodded eagerly, and soon the two were collecting whatever they could find.

“That’s a good idea.” The Lil Bro grinned.

“It will help keep them distracted at least.” Sky sighed. Joker looked up at his grim expression, then over to Loki.

“Heh, maybe if we put our skulls together we can come up with a good solution. All two and a half of them.” Sky just looked at him quizzically.

“Two and a half?” He questioned. Joker just motioned to his cracked head after Loki started chuckling.

“Maybe I can give you a hand with that one.” Loki lifted his stub with a snicker.

“That’s it! You can heal the rest on your own!” Sky crossed his arms and huffed. Of all the times to make stupid puns they choose now?! It was irresponsible. Childish even! And above all… just like something his brother would have done.

”Ah shit. I think we overdid it.” Joker murmured worriedly.

“You alright pal?” Loki waved his hand trying to get Sky’s attention. He blinked back a few tears before they could fall.

“I-I’m fine!” Sky stood up and turned towards the grass. “I’m going to collect more bedding materials. You two should rest.” He was off before either could say anything.

He couldn’t think about his brother Rust right now. Currently Jaws and the Boss Bitty were in danger, and there wasn’t much he could do about it. Looking towards the tall grass they disappeared in Sky could only pray that the two would return in one piece.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

It was a mad dash to find some privacy.

This was impossible. He couldn’t contain the pain any longer and his stupid ego had him running to stars knows where.

He leapt over the bodies of water small enough for him to cross, but most of the puddles were too deep and wide, forcing him to change direction. Eventually he came upon a more forested area where the grass turned into dead leaves and massive trees towered above the tiny Bitty, stopping at one of the titanic trunks and digging his face into it. Grim gripped the pieces of bark and dug his claws in, tears freely falling to the ground now.

He tried to contain a sob but he couldn’t, the pain in his chest was too much to bear quietly anymore.

“Dammit… Dammit Nibbler why…” The Boss Bitty fell to his knees. His brother was dead.

He was really gone.

He was dust in that stupid jar and there was nothing he could do!

They were in the same damn room, trying to grip anything so they would stop flopping around the place.

Then they hit.

They hit the ground and the roof caved right on top of him. The pure fear and shock in his brother’s sockets the instant he exploded into dust, and Grim could do nothing but slam into the wall from the impact.

“DAMMIT!” Grim screamed. He was such a tiny helpless thing, but knowing this was all the more infuriating.

He was too small.

Too vulnerable.

Too awkward.

He didn’t have anyone else. Even around the other Boss Bitties, Grim himself was very bad at speaking and making friends. Nibbler was the only Edgy that would put up with him.

And now his only real friend was dead…

The brush behind him exploded with a huge rustle. His body dove sideways on instinct, several sharp claws catching his jacket and yanking him off the ground. Apparently his attacker wasn’t expecting to get stuck in the leather, shaking him violently until his jacket gave way with a loud rip.

He was thrown high into the air, not bothering to try and correct his landing. He collided with the forest floor, the dead leaves helping to cushion his fall. Grim sat upright in time to see the flash from two yellow slit eyes, and the dark form of a house cat charging right for him again. Summoning a bone wall Grim attempted to block the animal but it shattered easily, getting swatted back and forth several more times before the cat pinned him to a tree, cracking ribs with the shear pressure it applied. He threw a few bones half heartedly at his attacker, but he just couldn’t fight seriously.

Gritting his teeth, Grim stopped struggling. He couldn’t beat a house cat on his own.

He couldn’t even get through the fur to harm it.

Growling at the fresh pain from the damn cat crushing him harder, Grim glared up at the thing tiredly.

“I hope my dust leaves you sneezing for weeks.” The Boss Bitty whispered with a small grin.

This was it.

He’d join his brother soon.

He wouldn’t be alone again.

The cat opened its jaws revealing rows of sharp teeth and massive fangs. It quickly brought its mouth down around Grim to bite him in half, only to pull away with a pained shriek.

The cat released, giving Grim a chance to see what the hell had changed. It was that Edgy Bitty from the new group, and he had his sharp teeth clamped down hard around the cat's tail. The feline hissed and spun around trying to dislodge its attacker, but the Edgy stayed on, letting out a few snarls of his own. Finally the cat managed to catch up to its own tail trying to wrap its jaws around the Bitty. He teleported at the last second, forcing the cat to bite down on itself. The thing yelped in pain, only for two kitten sized blaster skulls to zap it from behind. They did little more than singe the tip of its fur, leaving the cat enraged. It quickly located its new target currently flipping it the bird.

“How’d you like that ass- HEY!” The Edgy barely avoided a set of sharp claws, only for its other paw to come in nearly catching his shirt. He was barely able to weave and teleport while Grim just stared in stunned silence.

Was he dead? Or maybe hallucination from blood or magic loss? This couldn’t actually be real. No way an Edgy would willingly fight a cat to save a Boss Bitty. The idea was absurd.

Yet that’s exactly what was happening before his eyes.

“Don’t just sit on your ass! Help me!” The angry cries of the Edgy snapped Grim back to attention. He was currently trying to teleport out of the cat's way as it kept swiping at him with those sharpened claws. The thing was fast, and the other Bitty was already running out of stamina.

If he didn’t do something they would both die.

The Edgy would die.

He’d watch another version of his brother…

Grim jumped to his feet and ripped off the remains of his leather jacket, throwing it aside and summoning several blasters of his own. The pain in his core felt secondary now, his primary focus now on saving the Edgy, even if it killed him.

With a cry the Boss Bitty charged forward, firing them both in quick succession before stabbing the cats rear foot with a bone attack. That blow earned him a swift kick to the face knocking him on his back.

“Eyes on me ya fuzzy bastard!” The Edgy snarled trying to keep the cat from turning on Grim. The Boss Bitty rolled onto his feet and circled the thing while it continued attacking the Edgy, this time aiming for its eyes. Summoning two more blasters he fired right as it ended another leap towards the Sans Bitty, managing to nail it in the nose.

The feline shrieked and pulled back trying to protect its face but the Edgy intervened, hitting its forehead and ears with several small bone attacks. Finally it decided this prey wasn’t worth it, turning tail and rushing back into the forest and far away from the Bitties.

They both stood there for a moment panting heavily, waiting to see if it would return, but other than the sound of chirping insects everything remained still.

They did it.

Two little Bitties fended off a house cat on their own.

Grim wasn’t sure if he should laugh or cry, but his body would make the choice for him. The adrenalin finally ran its course and pain quickly returned to his chest and back. He fell to his knees with a grunt.

“Hey!” The Edgy rushed over and shook his shoulders firmly making his broken bones burn from the jostling. “Don’t ya dare die on me! I didn’t go through all that shit just ta pick up more monster dust! Got it?!”

The Bitty’s angry snarls and familiar gestures were all too reminiscent of his late brother. It was like looking at Nibbler in his final moments, right before the house crashed-

“Pay attention asshole! I asked ya for a name!” The Edgy slapped his cheekbones several times trying to gain his attention.

“G-Grim.” He finally managed.

“And I’m Jaws.” He answered, swiftly forcing himself under Grim’s arm. “We’re too far from the others to teleport in one go.”

“How would we even get there? It’s too dark to navigate.” Grim growled only for Jaws to point off towards the distance. He followed his hand to finally see the small flashes of yellow sporadically going off in the distance. “Oh.” Was all he could reply with.

“Still too far ta teleport.”

“I’d rather walk anyway.” Grim stood but couldn’t stop himself from hunching in on himself. That cat did a lot more damage than he first realized.

“If ya can walk then start walkin’.” He pulled Grim’s arm forcing him to take a step. “The second ya fall over again I’ll be teleolportin’ use multiple jumps. You’ll just have ta hold your lunch down.” The Edgy… Jaws had a smirk on his face. He was convinced Grim wouldn’t last the trip.

“Challenge accepted.” The Boss Bitty scoffed, forcing weight onto his other foot moving a step forward. The two slowly but surely made progress towards their destination. Grim could feel his sockets dropping every so often though, and his legs were feeling more and more like wet noodles.

Stars this was a trek.

“So… why’d ya pick that name?” Jaws asked much to Grim’s confusion. He could hear the awkwardness in the other's voice.

“What do you mean?”

“Most of the Bitties picked their own names, if the original Rus didn’t get to em first. So why Grim? It’s a pretty downer choice.” The Boss Bitty had to look away from Jaws for a moment, reminded too much of his own brother.

“My brother chose my name, and I chose his.”

“Ya named your bro Nibbler?” Jaws couldn’t help snickering. Grim just rolled his eyelights.

“He always had to be chewing on something. Wood, pottery pieces. Hell, he even chewed a hole through the original Comic’s slipper.”

“So HE’S the Edgy that did the deed.” Jaws grinned toothily. “And all this time I thought it was a rumour.” It was indeed the talk of the sanctuary for weeks. Nobody could believe someone put a big old hole through those dirty pink slippers, and the culprit never came forward. Some Bitties even claimed it wasn’t a Bitty at all, or that there was even a hole to begin with. The rumor mills were flying on that one.

“I can tell you that rumor was true, and I’d say he earned the name Nibbler.”

“Fair enough, but what about your name?” Grim had to take a second trying to keep his voice level. He liked talking about his Edgy, it’s just thinking about him caused his little soul to ache. Knowing he’d lost that important connection to a loved one-

“Hey!” Jaws stopped when Grim tripped over his own feet, barely stopping himself before his knees hit the dirt. He stood back up knowing he hadn’t lost the challenge yet. Jaws watched him carefully before the two continued through the grass.

“He said I was the biggest pessimist out of all the Bosses.” He stated simply.

“Really? That’s it?”

“Well you wanted the answer, and I gave it. Be grateful for that much.” Grim scoffed. “I don’t need to play these games to stay awake.”

“That obvious, huh?” Jaws chuckled.

“You clearly have nothing to talk about.” He growled back. Suddenly the Edgy came to an abrupt halt

“Well, good news is we can stop the small talk. Afraid it comes with some bad news though.” Grim looked up seeing a massive body of water, at least two feet across and very, very wide. He could see a sporadic yellow blast of magic going off not far behind it. They were almost there, but the fastest way was to teleport. “Mind if I take us across?” He looked up to him hopefully. Grim could only grimace. Either bite down the pain and hope he could keep standing on the long way around, or let Jaws shortcut and let him have the satisfaction.

Neither option was pleasant.

“Well?” He asked again.

“... Just so we’re clear, this isn’t a forfeit.”

“Dang, maybe Nibbler should've named ya for that competitive streak.” Jaws grinned much too Grim’s annoyance.

“Just take us across already.”

“As ya wish.” The two vanished with a small pop.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sky paced outside nervously while Bandit sat on top of the dollhouse. He was shooting sporadic beams of magic into the air, Sarge hoping that would be good enough to act as a homing beacon to guide the others back.

If they were still alive that is.

He clutched at the locket on his hip, hoping they wouldn’t end up like the dust it contained. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have given that Boss Bitty the dust. That was such a stupid decision, and now both he and Jaws could be dead at this very moment and they might never know-

“You should really get some rest.” Sarge stepped into the doorway looking a little more awake then earlier. “We have a long day ahead of us.”

“It’s fine! I’ll take your watch. You should go back to sleep.” Sky argued. Sarge just rolled his eyelights.

“Don’t be stupid about this. You were supposed to go to sleep when Bandit took over.”

“I’m just… really worried.” Sky looked away guiltily.

“I’m too late, you’re already being stupid.”

“It’s not stupid to be worried!” he growled.

“It’s stupid to blame yourself!” Sarge yelled back.

“Well I didn’t ask for your opinion!” Sky huffed turning away.

“Can you two keep it down? You’ll wake the others up.” The two glanced towards the roof where Bandit was looking down at them rather annoyed.

“Sorry…” Sky apologized and gripped for the locket on his waist. The two were silent for a moment while the Razzy picked his next words carefully.

“You need to take care of yourself. We… you may even say your presence could mean the difference between life and death.”

“W-what do you mean?” Sky questioned, gripping the pocket just a little bit harder. Sarge just looked at him blankly, as if the answer should be obvious. He eventually relented.

“For starters, you’re the only Bitty here that can use healing magic. Without you Joker would already be a dust pile.” He smirked looking his softer double up and down. “You're also the only peppy version of any Taleverse Bitties in this group. The lazier Bitties rely a lot on their brothers for positivity and a reason to keep going. Without any Ruses or more Baby Blues I imagine that hope will fall to you. They certainly don’t get that same drive from my kind, or Bosses for that matter.”

“W-Wowie… I never thought of it that way…” Sky whispered looking down at his locket. Are Ruses and Baby Blues really that vital to their brothers? He never realized if that was how his own brother used to view him.

“Oh good, we don't have to talk anymore.” Sarge commented looking over Sky’s shoulder.

“What do you- YOU’RE BACK!” Sky looked over his shoulder to see Jaws and Grim were coming through the tall grass. He rushed over to pull both Fell Bitties into a big hug, only to notice how Grim held himself. His jacket was gone, now simply sporting a dark tank top underneath his tattered scarf. He looked to be in bad shape. “Oh stars you’re hurt! Let me help you!”

“Really your help isn’t-“ Grim was cut off when Sky took Jaws’ place and led him directly to the dollhouse.

“Do not fret though! For I am an expert in healing magic!”

“... I never would have guessed.” Grim sighed dryly resigning himself to his fate, while Jaws and Sarge both tried to contain their laughter at his misery.

They were doing a very poor job.

Sky led him to the room they had chosen to bunker in. The Bitties were all sleeping soundly in a big group. Big Boss was at the base of the pile, with Courier sprawled over his legs and snoring loudly. Joker was curled up into a ball sandwiched between the two Papyrus Bitties, while Loki slept on his other side, hugging the purple backpack holding Nibbler’s dust. They were all piled on the grass bed they had put together earlier.

On the far end laid Nibbler’s black jacket and some extra leg room for the others to join in, and that’s where Sky had Grim sit. The Boss Bitty looked down to the jacket, a pained expression crossing his face before putting on a familiar scowl.

“Why is the jacket over here? Didn’t Loki want it?”

“He thought you needed it more than him.” Sky murmured, starting to flood Grim’s torso with healing magic.

“He honestly thinks I need it? Hah! Such an idiot…” Grim scoffed though he wasn’t too convincing. He tried to slowly inch his fingers along the jacket’s fabric without Sky noticing. The Boss Bitty let out a long sigh, shut his sockets as the healing magic numbed his pain. Sky decided not to say anything, though the action did make his soul sting with guilt.

“I’m sorry.” Sky whispered, getting a confused grunt from Grim. “I-I gave you your brother’s dust before asking if you wanted to carry it. I should have asked, or at least realized you wanted space. Now you're hurt and-“

“The injuries were my own fault for being a dumbass, so stop apologizing.”

“B-but the dust-“ Grim peeked his socket open warningly, getting Sky to quiet before he got too emotional. Right, they needed to keep it down so the others could sleep. After several long minutes of healing Grim’s breaks Sky finally pulled away.

“I think it’s all healed, though I’d like to examine your ribs in the morning when I can see better.” Grim mumbled in acknowledgment laying down on top of Nibbler’s jacket and burying his face in the hood. Sky couldn’t help his own pained smile at seeing Grim fall asleep almost instantly. It was like when his original housemates would all gather in their sock beds for the evening. Bitties always liked to cuddle in groups when they slept. It was an odd habit that their originals don’t seem to have, or at least they weren’t devastated like Bitties when there weren't other monsters right next to them.

He turned when Bandit stepped inside finally being relieved from guard duty, Jaws shuffling in right after not bothering to hide a huge yawn. The two collapsed between Sky and the main pile. Jaws was right next to him with his arms sprawled out taking up as much space as possible. Bandit simply cuddled between Loki and Jaws letting out a loud snore seconds after getting comfortable. Sky could only chuckle at seeing how large their band of survivors had become since the previous morning. They had gone from three broken Bitties to nine little monsters determined to find their way home. He didn’t think there would be a day to come after seeing his brother’s remains scattered across the floor, but with the others here the light seemed a little bit brighter.

Sky hugged the locket with his brother's dust while curling up between Grim and Jaws, finally letting himself rest.

They had a long journey ahead of them.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three, plus some art for the chapter. Who doesn't love seeing cute Bitties cuddling to end a rough three chapters? It features Big Boss, Joker, Courier and Loki.
> 
> Things are starting to look up for them at least.
> 
> Leave a comment if you want more! They always make my day.
> 
> You can check out my deviantart below.
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/homestar1812


	4. Go the Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A human comes across a very odd creature, while our lost group hope for a much needed breather. What will they discover while trying not to die from exhaustion?

Yesterday was wet, cloudy and miserable. When the Bitties woke up that morning, they certainly weren’t expecting the sun to be blazing. It was currently high noon, and the weather was now hot and humid. It was a huge jump in temperature, one that the Bitty’s didn’t actually mind. Though they could tell when something was hot or cold, the lack of flesh meant their bodies wouldn’t suffer the same effects as other monsters in different weather conditions. The heat also meant most potential predators were resting in the shade trying to stay cool, leaving the tiny skeletons relatively safe for now while traversing the wilderness, and the two group leaders were sure to take advantage of it. The Bitties had been trudging forward at a fast pace for the last three hours, and they didn’t show any signs of wanting to slow down. Big Boss, Sarge and Sky led the pack, looking for any pitfalls and other dangers while they walked. That didn’t stop the little Taleverse skeleton from trying to make it more fun.

“Let’s see… I spy with my little eye, something… orange.”

“Is it Loki?” The Razzy deadpanned.

“How did you know?” Sky pouted.

“We’ve been playing this game for the last two hours. Besides anything brown or green there isn’t much in the way of other colored options.” He rolled his eyelights at what he assumed was obvious.

“Well, we could try another game then… or songs! We could sing songs!” The Baby Blues’ eyelights sparkled at the prospect. “I know some camp songs! I’ll teach you!” Sarge didn’t get a chance to decline, Sky taking in a deep breath before shouting.

“All you have to do is repeat after me!” He waited a moment, Big Boss ignoring his efforts and Sarge just staring at him blankly. “Now you say ‘All you have to do is repeat after me!’ And I’ll teach the song that way.”

“Maybe you should try that with the other Tale Bitties. I’m sure they’d have more fun with it.”

“Everyone enjoys a good camp song, even Boss Bitties! Isn’t that right Loki?” Sky waited for an answer from the Lil Bro, only to be met with silence. “Loki?” The two Sanses turned around seeing nobody was behind them.

“Wait, where is everyone?” Sarge tensed up and scanned the area in case a predator was nearby. Though if the others had been taken by one they would have probably screamed.

“Wait, did we lose them?! What if they fell behind?! Or got hurt? Or eaten?!” Sky frantically rushed around trying to get a glimpse of the others through the surrounding underbrush. 

“What’s that blubbering about?” Big Boss asked, finally paying attention at the Baby Blue’s distress.

“The others seem to have gotten separated. We need to find the main group.” Sarge pinched his brow. “We will have to backtrack to find them.”

“Honestly. Was keeping up so much to ask for?” Big Boss complained. They started making their way down the trail they came, only for Loki to nearly fall over through some thick foliage. He was sweating, panting and clearly exhausted.

“You’re okay!” Sky rushed over and pulled him into a tight hug, the other panting too hard to protest. Loki lifted his good arm and patted him over the head before facing the Fellverse Bitties, still too exhausted to stand up straight.

“Where is everyone else?” The Boss Bitty commanded.

“F-fell *huff* behind.” Loki barely managed to get out. “We c-can’t *huff* keep going like t-this.”

“Well, if you actually exercised once in a while then maybe you’d last longer.” Sarge huffed. “We still have plenty of ground to cover before sunset.”

“Have you even checked the others recently?” Loki pulled aside the leaves he just stepped through, revealing all the Bitty’s currently lagging behind. Grim was carrying an exhausted Joker on his back, while Jaws, Bandit and Courier all shuffled forward nearly a yard behind him. The three were all doubled over, panting and clutching at their overworked souls. It took several minutes for them to finally catch up.

“I-I’m *huff* really hungry…” Bandit breathed, grabbing at his non-existent stomach. 

“And *huff* t-thirsty…” Courier nodded along tiredly.

Jaws just keeled over on his back with a few coughs as soon as they entered the little clearing.

“J-just go on without me...” He groaned.

“Come on everyone! We just need to make it a little bit farther!” Sky tried encouraging them, though his efforts went ignored.

“Does anyone have any food left?” Grim asked, glancing at his half dead passenger. He adjusted Joker to lay more comfortably against his back, not willing to put him down without the go ahead from Big Boss.

“We ran out of candy yesterday. I’m sorry but you’ll just have to make do until we find something.” Sarge answered. Everyone seemed to unanimously moan at their situation.

“C-can we take a break at least?” Loki breathed. Looking at the poor state of everyone, Big Boss eventually relented.

“Fine, we shall take a ten minute break, but as soon as that’s done we are moving again.”

“OH THANK THE STARS!” Jaws exclaimed throughly spent. Grim set Joker down next to him, the two staying close and trying to recover some energy. Loki took the chance to remove his little backpack and stretch his shoulders, while the two Slims practically fell into each other as they slid to the ground.

Sarge decided to scan the immediate area. They were in a forested section, with plenty of leafy foliage and poison ivy to make traveling more difficult, especially when they could barely see over it. “Perhaps we should scout the woods for potential food sources while the others rest? There has to be some berries or mushrooms we could eat.”

“It’s honestly not a bad suggestion…” Big Boss pondered.

“I’ll help look!” Sky was quick to volunteer. “Grim can come with me!” The Boss Bitty in question seemed fine with the idea, straightening out his brother’s former jacket and waiting for further instruction. Boss nodded before turning to the five other Bitties.

“Everyone! We are going to search the area for potential food sources. Would any of you like to volunteer?”

“Pass.” Jaws was quick to wave him off, Joker not even bothering to respond. 

“Seriously Bigs? It hasn’t even been five minutes!” Loki growled.

“I was simply asking for volunteers. If you lazyasses insist on resting then there is nothing I can do to persuade you. Just know we will be meeting back here in twenty minutes.”

“Wait… you're doubling our rest time?” Joker sat up hopeful.

“Unless you’d like to contribute to the benefit of the group's health. I see you’ve already got some energy back.” The Sansy was quick to lay back down at Big Boss’s words.

“Ya know what, just go for it and I’ll catch up later.” Bigs rolled his eyelights and turned back to his volunteers.

“As I said, we meet back here in twenty minutes, and we travel in groups of two. Understood? We don’t need anyone getting lost or killed.” All of the Bitties nodded in agreement, Grim and Sky heading in one direction while Bigs and Sarge went in the other.

Meanwhile the lazier skeletons took the chance to breathe.

“How much farther do ya think we’ll go today?” Jaws groaned realising it was only noon.

“Too far.” Loki sighed. “If they can’t slow down the pace we’ll probably dust out of exhaustion.”

“Do ya think we should have a talk with them?” Joker suggested. “I doubt Grim will piggyback us forever.” 

“Heh, ya said ‘us.’” Jaws laughed. “You’re literally the only one he’s offered one to so far.” Joker blushed a little bit at the suggestion.

“I-I’m sure he’d give you one too if you ask.”

“Doubt it. He’s probably just pittyin’ you Tale versions. Ain’t that right Bandit?” Jaws looked over to where the Slims were sitting, only finding Courier. “Hey, where’d the other one go?” The Slim Bitty motioned over his shoulder somewhere through the undergrowth.

“Left a few minutes ago.”

“Maybe one of us should check on him? We aren’t supposed to split up.” Loki said with a hint of worry. Everyone proceeded to stare at the remaining Slim Bitty, their request clear despite not saying anything. It took a solid minute for him to realize what they wanted, begrudgingly complying.

“... fine, but if I can’t walk later because of this you gotta carry me.”

“We’ll get Grim ta do it.” Jaws waved him off. Courier just grumbled, standing up on very sore legs and limping into the underbrush. 

“Bandit? Where’d you go?” He called out several times. Thankfully it didn’t take long to find him. He was only about two yards away from the group, staring at some very healthy looking grass in deep contemplation. “Hey, you okay? We should head back.”

“I was just thinking… is grass edible?” Bandit questioned. 

“You wanna eat the grass?” Courier perked a brow bone. 

“Yeah, I mean, cows and goats eat grass. Doesn’t that mean we can eat it too?” The little skeleton had to think on that for a moment. He’d never tried eating grass before, so he had no idea how they would be affected. 

“That’s… actually a good point.” Courier relented. The two Slim Bitty’s approached the tall stalks growing in a small sunny patch from a hole in the tree canopy. He couldn’t help feeling the greens for texture. They were nice and lively in color, and the grass stems produced water droplets when he pulled them apart. “I think we‘ll be safe?”

Bandit scratched his mandible thoughtfully. “Let’s try some… and if we don’t die we can share with the others.” 

“That’s a great idea.” Courier agreed. He used a bone attack to chop several big blades down, handing three to Bandit and keeping some for himself. Both of them took small bites from the greens, their faces scrunching a bit at the odd flavor but swallowing them down nonetheless. “So… do you feel anything?” He asked after a few minutes.

“Nope… I think I’m okay.” Bandit nodded sagely. “We really are safe!”

“Then let’s chow down!” The two munched happily, ready to fill their magic reserves and keep moving with the others. Courie couldn’t contain a small burp when he swallowed the last piece he held, happy the hunger pangs had gone down. “That was really satisfying.” He grinned. “But we really need to head back. The others were already worried.”

“Okay. Let’s just grab some more for later though, just in case.”

“Agreed.” He nodded happily. They loaded their inventories until there was nothing left but tiny ripped stubs in the ground. Satisfied the two returned to the main group, waiting patiently with the others so they could share their findings once everyone else returned.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Sarge and Big Boss trudged back to the meet up location, both of them only able to find three acorns between them. The nuts were way too hard for a small Bitty to break through. They kept a hold of them anyway, if by some miracle they could possibly lure a squirrel out with bait and consume that.

“Well, that was a waste.” Bigs muttered under his breath.

“Sorry. I thought the forest would yield more for us to use.” Sarge sighed. He felt bad for leading them on a wild goose chase, especially when they were all starving and low on magic.

“It was worth a try.” The taller Bitty shrugged. “We can only hope the other group had better luck.” The two both quieted, getting situated to wait for the others to return.

Unfortunately Joker had other plans.

“Bigs! Sky! Anyone?!” The Bitty shouted, sounding panicked. Hearing the distress in his voice the two shot up immediately, quickly rushing to the source of the noise. He wasn’t too far away, and quick to flag them both down.

“What’s wrong?” Big Boss demanded.

“It’s the Slims. Something’s wrong with them.” The Boss Bitty narrowed his sockets, following the little Sansy leading them to their downed companions. Loki was pacing back and forth clutching his purple backpack, while Jaws tried to rub circles on Courier’s back. They were both sprawled out on the ground and moaning in pain.

“Ugggggg…I don’t feel so good…” Courier croaked. Bandit didn’t have a chance to say anything, simply vomiting up a sludge of partially digested pulp and magic.

“What did you two do?” Sarge asked, kneeling down to get a better look at the vomit. He took a whiff of it, face contorting at the smell. “Wait… is this grass?”

“Y-yes…” Bandit groaned. “W-we were really hungry… and goats can eat g-grass.”

“So you assumed skeletons could?” Sarge growled clearly angry at their stupidity.

“Ta be fair, I didn’t know we ‘couldn’t’ eat grass-“

“You’re not helping!” The Razzy shut Jaws down before he could get any further.

“Are they going to be okay?” Joker whispered when Courier started to vomit. He cringed back at the horrible noise, playing with the scarf around his neck for comfort. 

“That depends if they dust from ingesting strange substances, or from my hand due to their stupidity. Both are equally possible.”

“Seriously Sarge, ya need ta chill.”

“And you need to start exercising, but you don’t see me nagging about it-“

“Everyone shut up!” Bigs ordered. Everyone went quiet, the Boss Bitty taking a huge breath before continuing. “No one is going to kill each other, and no one is going to dust!”

“What are we going to do about them though? They can’t walk like this!” Sarge gestured to the prone Bitties. Bigs scratched his mandible trying to come up with a plan. He wasn’t sure how to deal with them long term if the Slims didn’t recover. They could take turns carrying them, but without food even the tougher bitties would lose strength eventually. They wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever-

“There you guys are!” Everyone turned to the familiar bubbly voice. Sky raced to the main group with Grim following close behind. “We found something!”

“You found us food?”

“Even better!” He grinned hopping around excitedly.

“It’s a campsite.” The Boss Bitty clarified. “Though the campers don’t look too friendly.”

“Don’t say that! We haven’t even introduced ourselves!” Sky huffed.

“Did they have cell phones?” Sarge questioned.

“Well, the lady was using a smartphone. We can’t eat that though.”

“No, if we can get them to call the Sanctuary they might send a ride out to pick us up.” It took a second for Sky to connect the dots.

“That’s brilliant Sarge! I’m sure they shall let us call if we ask!”

“Are those two okay?” Grim questioned finally noticing the sick Slim Bitties.

“Sorry bud, but I think we’ll need you to give them a lift.” Loki smirked, though he was still clearly worried.

“Why? They are like this because of their own stupidity.” Sarge growled. “We should make them drag themselves so the lesson sticks.” Big Boss shook his head and scooped Bandit up bridal style, the latter feeling too ill to fight against it. 

“Just don’t vomit on me and we won’t have any problems. Understood?” He stated with finality.

“Y-yes sir… sorry sir.” Bandit moaned. Bigs could only roll his eyelights before motioning for Grim to take the other, an order followed without any fan fair.

“Alright Sky. Where is this campsite exactly?” 

“Follow me! It’s about a twelve minute walk.”

“You all heard him! Get up and start moving.” The others groaned and started shifting back to their feet.

“Who put you in charge anyway?” Loki breathed hoisting his backpack over both shoulders.

“If it’s not me in charge then it’s going to be Sarge, and he’s much less forgiving than me.” Big Boss stated dryly. 

“Eh, he’s not wrong.” The Razzy shrugged.

“Good to know if the others hadn’t found us, we’d dust by now.”

“Hey-“

“Would you two shut it!” Jaws snarled. “Jesus! You're gonna let the whole forest know we’re here!” The three bickered back and forth, enough to give Big Boss a headache.

This was going to feel FAR longer than twelve minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just Who is this little Bitty anyway? And what awaits the group at this mysterious campsite?
> 
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed! They help me stay motivated.


	5. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finds the campsite the splinter grouped discovered, but tensions remain high with the Bitties suspicious of the humans’ behaviour.

“There they are!” Sky pointed happily as the group finally came upon the outskirts of the campsite. The smell of a raging campfire and roasting hotdogs was strong, and overtook every other smell in the area. The first thing they spotted was the looming form of a brand new, maroon Ford Ranger with a camper hooked up to the back. On the opposite side was a messy campsite. A couple was hanging around the fire, the man in his mid thirties accompanied by a blonde with a snooty expression. She was sitting on a fold out chair and playing on her phone, looking rather bored the whole time. The male had his back turned and appeared to be working on some sort of project while their hotdogs cooked.

“I can’t get any reception out here.” She whined.

“That’s the point of camping babe, being cut off from the outside world.” The man responded. “We’re out here to get in touch with nature.”

“That’s funny. I thought it was to party with your old college friends.”

“That too. We haven’t partied in ages.” He relented. “Are those hot dogs done cooking?” The two went on talking while the Bitties watched. Big Boss and Grim dropped the Slims off several feet away from the treeline while everyone else leaned in for a closer peak, and a better whiff of that food.

“Stars that smells amazing…” Loki murmured. It made his non-existent stomach rumble.

“I just wanna smother it in ketchup and eat that whole dog in one sitting. Use it as a slide to dive into a pool of ketchup. That sounds delicious…” Joker closed his sockets just imagining a full belly. The Fells Bitties were more focused on the humans though, and the potential dangers they posed.

“I don’t know how I feel about that woman.” Big Boss growled. “She doesn’t seem the friendly type.”

“Come on guys! This is our best chance to get supplies and help. We can’t pass this up!” Sky encouraged. “We just need to introduce ourselves so they aren’t frightened.”

“Not yet, we don’t even know if these are monster hating humans or not.” Grim pondered.

Do you think we should steal some food instead?” Sarge jumped in.

“Perhaps we could start by spying on them to see if they say anything. Or wait till nightfall-“

“He’s already gone.” Loki interrupted. The three monsters swiveled to see Sky far out of reach bounding towards a tree stump near the fire pit.

He climbed on top of the dead wood, brushing off his face and hoodie in an attempt to look more presentable. He cleared his throat and held his locket for good luck.

“Hello humans!” Sky shouted. The couple turned at the high pitched voice, looking around unable to spot the source. “I’m down here! You're looking too far up!” Their eyes quickly fell on the little Bitty. “Pleased to make your acquaintance! My name is-“

“AIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!! WHAT IS THAT THING?!” The girl shrieked jumping on top of her chair before it completely collapsed on her. “KILL IT BILL! KILL IT!!!”

“Stay back Karen!” The man stepped forward with a folded chair in his hands.

“Wait! I’m not danger- WOAH!” Sky lept back and forth trying to avoid the object, only to get hit on his fourth round. He flew back into the woods with a pained cry. Jaws, Sarge, Grim and Big Boss quickly chased after him, finding Sky in a filthy ball having hit the dirt and bounced a few times. Jaws slid to his knees looking him over for major brakes.

“Sky? Are ya alright?!” The Baby Blue slowly rolled over with a wince, quickly checking the locket across his shoulder relieved that it hadn’t opened from the impact. His face quickly fell when he found a new rip on the sleeve of his orange hoodie.

“Oh no! It tore! I-I tore my brother’s hoodie…” His sockets began watering with the gut punching realization. Grim patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. We’ll fix it as soon as we get home.” Sky looked up at the kind words and tried putting on a brave face, but his devastation was still obvious.

“I hope they realize, this means war.” Big Boss snarled. Nobody hurt his underlings, and he’d make sure they’d learn in the worst way possible.

“Agreed. I vote tieing them up in their sleep and hanging them upside down in a tree. Maybe smear some peanut butter on them to attract insects.” Sarge nodded equally pissed by the humans’ reaction.

“P-please don't hurt them! I’m sure this was all a misunderstanding.” Sky pleaded, only to wince when he sat up too straight. Grim picked him up bridal style before he could protest furthur.

“Come on, the others will be eager to see you’re okay.”

“P-put me down! I can walk-“

“You can rest until we’re positive nothings broken.” Grim looked to the others and nodded, his motives very clear. He didn’t want Sky stopping any of their revenge plotting.

“Bah, we probably shouldn’t ‘physically’ hurt them, if it will upset Sky that much.” Bigs growled reluctantly.

“I’m still up for psychological torture though. And stealing since they are acting like dicks.” Sarge stated.

“Agreed. Now to come up with a plan…” The two continued plotting while Jaws peaked between the tall grass to see what the humans were doing. The woman had finally untangled herself from the remains of her seat, and the man was standing ready to attack again with that folded up chair. 

“W-what WAS that thing?!” Karen questioned.

“Not sure, but I think I killed it.” The man, Bill if he remembered, answered. “Probably a rat or mouse.”

“You wish asshat.” Jaws grumbled low. It’s like they chose to ignore Sky had actually spoken to them! The woman proceeded to fix her hair and take a seat on a hammock instead.

“I can’t believe you picked a rat infested campsite.” The woman huffed in her nasally voice.

“Mice aren’t uncommon out here, plus it’s not like we have to sleep in tents. That’s what the camper is for.”

“Thank Christ for that investment.” She picked up one of several magazines on the cooler and began flipping through it. “When were you meeting up with the guys again?”

“I was heading to the lake in half an hour, right after we eat. I thought you were joining us?”

“I am now, I don’t want to be here with RATS.” She whined.

“Alrighty, I’ll get your fishing pole ready too.” He turned back to his original task, which happened to be organizing his tackle box. It looked like he was preparing for a long fishing trip.

“So he’ll be heading out in half an hour. and the other human will join…” Jaws scratched just mandible thoughtfully. So that meant they'd have some time to steal stuff as soon as those humans left. They just needed to be patient about this. “You hear that guys?”

“Hear what? We were too busy being productive to pay attention.” Sarge huffed.

“The humans will be heading out for fishin’ soon. We’ll have a chance ta grab some grub when they’re gone.”

“Really? How disappointing.” Big Boss sighed. “I was hoping we could gang up on them with a mass team attack to scare them away. I suppose we can wreck their campsite.” 

“Yeaaaah… let’s just find the others.” Jaws turned back to where the group was hiding before Bigs could elanorate with whatever the hell ge was thinking. The humans were eating their hotdogs already so they’d be able to feast soon. He just needed to tell the others of the plan. It only took a few minutes for them to find everyone.

Grim and Sky had joined up with the others, now hanging out below the camper. The Slims weren’t rolling around in agony either. Now they were… munching down on sections of crackers?

“Where did you get this?” Bigs questioned. Bandit motioned over to Joker before swallowing down another bite.

“His ya doing bud?” Loki sat down next to him with his own cracker.

“I feel better now…” He smiled tiredly, immediately sinking back into his food. Indeed he didn’t look completely recovered, but he was far more functional with crackers replacing that grass. 

“I can’t believe you stole from the humans’ campsite without backup. That was very dangerous.” Big Boss growled turning his attention to Joker.

“I didn’t have to.” He motioned to the camper above them.

“You teleported inside?”

“No need, I found another way in.” The Sansy stood up and motioned for the others to follow. They did so, soon finding a poorly patched hole in the metal. There was an obvious hole several inches wide, with something dark farther in blocking the light. “That’s the sofa up there. It will take us right in without issue.”

“This is a cheap ass camper.” Jaws muttered.

“Thankfully for us. Let’s go.” Big Boss and Sarge both made the jump in, everyone else grabbing someone who could teleport. The object above them was actually a small sofa, and they could see light from the crack to the outside. They all crept slowly into the main room. It was long and narrow, a wooden floor, cabinets and built in table far above their heads. On the other end was a small cracked open door, and a bed practically built into the back. Joker decided to spy on the humans before anyone explored further, waiting a good fifteen minutes until the coast was clear. He turned from the window with a thumbs up. Everyone was quick to scurry around and explore while they had the chance.

“It’s a bathroom. A tiny one but still a bathroom.” Sarge stated after a brief examination behind the door. Jaws teleported on top of the counter, finding a small sink, dish soap and several boxes of food. 

Crackers, cereal, protein bars. There was even a metal can of lemonade that was sitting out completely forgotten.

“It’s like a good paradise up here!” Jaws called down. “We gotta sink too! Plenty of water!”

“Excellent. We can get cleaned up and eat our fill.” Bigs decided. 

“I call dibs on the cracker box!” Bandit and Courier both rushed for the counter.

“Oh no! You two are coming with me!” Sarge grabbed both Bandit and Courier by the collars and dragged them towards the back of the camper.

“B-but we’re still hungry!”

“And don’t feel well!”

“Those crackers did a fine job if you ask me.” Sarge growled. “Besides, you two are absolutely disgusting and so am I. We are getting cleaned up and that’s final!”

“No!”

“I don’t wanna!”

“Too bad! You're going to come with me and you will like it!” Sarge continued dragging them towards the bathroom, Sky following behind gingerly.

“I’ll just… make sure they don’t get sick again.” He smiled and disappeared behind the little door. 

Sarge wasn’t kidding. It was a tiny bathroom. No space between the sink, shower and toilet, and the area was cluttered with beauty products and dirty laundry pop.

“Take us up!” Sarge ordered. Both Slim Bitties did as instructed. The four getting a view of the sink.There was barely two inches of counter space, and even that was strewn with makeup products, shampoo bottles, nail polish and files, plus a travel sized hair dryer. 

“These people are so disgusting! Who clutters their sink like this?!” He stomped over and ran his finger along the interior of the sink, rubbing those phalanges together to test its cleanliness. “Well, at least they can wipe a surface down, and this will be very useful.” He picked up what was clearly a brush meant for buffing and cleaning under fingernails. It was awkward for small creatures like them to hold, but it would prove very helpful for scrubbing between joints. “Sky, lets prepare the bath.”

“Can do!” The Baby Blue leapt over to the faucet being careful not to aggravate his bruises. He pulled the stopper that dropped the sink plug, turning on the hot water for the next step. Sarge knocked over a smaller shampoo bottle that poured into the sink mixing with the water to create a nice sudsy mixture. It was already creating a forest of bubbles.

“Everyone get undressed and hop in.”

“I said I don’t wanna.” Courier groaned.

“You aren’t even my Razzy, I don’t need to listen to you.” Bandit turned away to join the others in the kitchen, but blue magic gripping his soul stopped any progress. Sarge faced them with a twitching socket and manic sneer.

“Look. I survived the tornado by burying myself in a flower pot that smashed to pieces against the ground. It was a rough ride, a hard landing, and if I need to spend one more minute with potting soil stuck in my joints one of you is getting an ass kicking. Now strip!” The Slims both recoiled at the venom in his voice. The two looked to Sky hopefully, but we’re devastated to see him already taking his locket and top off.

They weren’t getting out of this one. 

Begrudging the two did as instructed, hopping into the water hoping to get it over with. It was a splash of hot water and bubbles blocking everything around them. Courier had to shake the bubbles from his sockets before he could see again, not expecting the nail brush to be shoved into his hands.

“Good, now start scrubbing where I can’t reach.” Sarge turned around and motioned to his spinal column, currently filled with dirt, sand and who knows what else.

“Stars Sarge, when you said your joints were filled with potting soil I thought you were exaggerating. How did you even function?” Sky gawked.

“In situations like these, survival takes presidency over comfort.” Sarge huffed, sounding proud of himself.

“No wonder he’s been such an extra stiff.” Bandit whispered to Courier rolling his eyelights, the two giggling uncontrollable.

“I told you to scrub!” The order made both of them jump, Courier rushing in and doing as told.

“Y-yes sir! Sorry sir!” He brushed hard with the Razzy meltinginto the bristles, prompting a giggle from Sky and an annoyed sigh from Bandit.

“I bet the others are having a much better time…”

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Big Boss, Joker, Grim, Jaws, and Loki took up residence on the counter top, all of them washing up the best they could in the kitchen style sink before taking stalk of their food. Of course, everyone was quick to gorge themselves before doing so, the lazier Bitties laying back and feeling decently full.

“Aww yeah… that hit the spot.” Jaws sighed happily.

“Now seems like a really good time for a nap.” Loki yawned.

“We'll have time to rest later, now start storing some food while we still can.” Bigs ordered. He and Grim were currently putting cereal and cracker pieces into their inventories they could only hold a few items a piece, so it was vital for everyone to stock up.

“Ya two need ta calm down. We’ll have plenty a time for that after we sleep some a this food off.”

“We don’t know when those humans will return, and we still need to destroy their campsite after we get what we need!”

“You're still on about that?” Joker questioned. “We’re already mooching off their food. Don’t ya think that’s enough?”

“Of course not! They nearly dusted one of us and it’s like you don’t care! How dare you associate with this group!”

“It’s because he’s a Sans. If we’re seeking revenge for another Sans Bitty then he’ll never get it.” Loki shook his head. “I am all for whatever revenge plan you come up with.”

“I wonder if that’s the best use of our energy though.” Grim murmured thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“Trashing the campsite will ruin the humans’ day, but it feels like a waste of daylight, and we’re just using up energy without making any progress towards home.”

“So what are you proposing?” Bigs raised a brow bone.

“It may sound insane, but what if we took the truck?”

“Heh! You’re right, that is insane.” Jaws laughed. “Never took ya for the joking type Grim.”

“That’s because I’m being serious.” Grim sighed. “Think about it. If we work together on this and distribute the roles so everyone controls a different part of the vehicle, we can teach those humans a lesson while making progress towards home.”

“Dude, you’re literally the tallest of us at six inches. How the hell did ya even think that could work?”

“I actually agree with Grim.” Bigs stated to everyone’s surprise. “

“Seriously? Ya wanna steal the truck? This is insane!”

“Oh hush, I actually see Grim’s point, and I do believe our teamwork has been great so far. As long as you all follow my orders nothing will fail.”

“Plus we’ll be getting back at those mean humans. That’s the most important part.” Loki interjected. Jaws couldn’t believe what was being said. He thought Big Boss was the right Bitty to get them all to safety, but now he was positive they would be killed at this rate. He needed to make someone see reason.

“Come on Joker, help me out here!” Jaws pleaded. The Sansy just scratched his chin before shrugging. 

“I say we wait for the others before making any decisions. If we’re gonna do it everyone will need to be on board.” God dammit, he wasn’t supposed to agree!

“Wait… Did you guys hear that?” Loki whispered. Everyone stopped in their conversation. It sounded like a muffled, angry woman was making her way towards the camper.

The human came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, and we’re setting up for the big stunt in the next chapter! I can’t wait XD
> 
> I’ll reread through for errors later. It wasn’t looking like words anymore lol.
> 
> Leave a comment if you want more!


	6. Operation: Big Rig

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bitties come face to face with one of the most horrifying creatures in existence, followed by one of the stupidest plans that had ever been planned before.

It was a mad dash for cover as soon as the keys jiggled in the deadbolt. Bigs and Grim dove behind a liter of Coke while Joker and Loki hid in the curtains. Jaws teleported to the bathroom to warn the others, just in time to find them drying off, their clothing wet from a recent wash and the group bare boned. 

“Jaws? Did you come for a bath too?” Sky questioned.

“No time! The human is back and we gotta hide!” Everyone flinched hearing the heavy footfall of a human headed right for them. Sarge grabbed all the wet clothing and dove under a face towel on the side of the sink. Everyone else leapt to the floor and hid in clothing piles. Thankfully they were all out of sight when the door flew open and that woman from early stomped in grumbling about her partner leaving food on the counter again like an animal.

“Stupid Bill and his stupid friends and his stupid slobbish habits. I have standards!” The woman’s rant went on and on, both Slim bitties glancing at each other from under their wrinkled shirt cover hoping her restroom break would end quickly. Sky reached for his locket, only to realize it was missing. Frantically he glanced around the bathroom, spotting it next to Karen’s sandaled foot. It had fallen off the counter in their mad rush to hide, and now his brother’s ashes were out in the open.

“Rust…” Sky whispered and started reaching, only for Jaws to drag him back into the pile and shush him. Karen stopped mumbling for a moment at hearing the soft whimper. She glanced around the floor of the bathroom going completely quiet to listen for more noises. Everyone closed their sockets praying she wouldn’t check the laundry on the ground. 

Thankfully she quickly lost interest, going back to her ranting before standing up and flushing the toilet. 

In her motion for the sink though, Karen kicked the locket by mistake, stopping in her tracks at the skidding noise it made before coming to rest again. Everyone’s souls sank when she reached down and grabbed the precious object, the woman examining it with great scrutiny.

“This isn’t mine… BILL!” She shouted. Everyone winced knowing they’d been caught.

“That lowlife is cheating on me! I KNEW he was screwing Jessica. That whore!” Without even washing her hands Karen grasped the locket tightly and marched out of the bathroom, Sky quickly bolting after her but too small to keep up. 

The two Boss Bitties peered out from behind their hiding spot upon hearing the shouting. Grim was quick to spot something golden glinting in her hand, seeing a naked Sky rushing out of the bathroom after her. It took a moment for the points to click in his mind, the importance of that necklace finally dawned on him. She had found Sky’s locket and was taking it to stars knows where, and the Baby Blue was too small to stop her.

There was no thought involved in his next action. One second he was behind the Coke bottle, and the next he was leaping out before Bigs could grab him and latching onto her denim shorts.

“Drop the locket you bitch!” Grim snarled. All he got in return was an ear shattering cry.

“THE RATS ON ME!!! GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF GET OFF!!!” She screeched and flailed like crazy trying to buck him off, but Grim held firm. At one point she grabbed the Coke bottle intending to smash him with it, only for her eyes to go wide at spotting Big Boss. She threw the pop at him shattering some plates and blowing the lid off the bottle, pop raining all over her and the counters.

“Shut her up!” Big Boss hissed trying to find a good angle to leap at her from. The other skeletons quickly rushed from the bathroom to assist, the Razzy taking the lead. Sarge managed to do a front flip and latch onto her hand while Jaws took a bite from her sandal strap and shook it.

“AIIIIIIEEEE!!!!” The woman screamed louder at the little creature that leapt onto her arm. She whirled around trying to slam him against the countertop, only for Jaws to bite her ankle getting a genuine help of pain. The screaming nearly doubled in volume when Bigs jumped onto her head and started pulling her hair.

“RATS!!!! RATS ARE EVERYWHERE!!!” She cried louder. Suddenly her body went limp from the lack of oxygen and she simply fainted, whacking her own head on the table during the fall. 

Karen was out cold.

…

“Oh shit we killed her.” Loki breathed after a moment of waiting to see if she’d get back up. 

Bigs had shaken himself off from the less the pleasant landing, feeling around her neck for a pulse. “She’s still alive. We haven't killed anyone yet.”

“Thank goodness for that!” Sky rushed over to make sure Grim was okay, finding him prying the locket from Karen’s hand. He was quick to look it over for damage before carefully handing it to Sky.

“Here. Safe and sound.”

Sky took the locket and held it closely to his chest. Looking up at Grim with an odd mix of gratitude and disappointment. “T-that was really stupid.” He sniffled. “She could have killed you.”

“But I’m fine.” He argued. “I thought you would want your brother back, before she threw him in a lake or something-“ Grimm stopped when Sky hugged him tightly.

“Thank you… but never do that again okay!” He adopted a stern, more disciplined look. “The living are more important… w-we can’t bring anyone back if they die to something foolish, so please promise you’ll be more careful.” Grim looked like he was ready to argue but Sky enlarged his eyelights and pouted.

The manipulative asshole.

“Alright, I promise.” Grim sighed. The two shared a moment of silence, soon interrupted by someone clearing their throat. 

“If you are quite done.” Big Boss interjected. He and several other Bitties were busy tying the woman’s wrist together with a shoe lace. “Could you please get dressed already! We have a plan to discuss and we need to do it before Karen wakes up!” 

Sky suddenly became very aware of his lack of clothing, realizing the only one who bothered to throw his pants back on before charging was Sarge. Curry teleported next to him handing over his still wet clothing.

“We’ll have to let them air dry on us. No time left to wait.” Sky didn’t bother responding, snatching them up and hurrying behind the couch leg to change. The only ones that didn’t seem remotely embarrassed were the Slim Bitties, getting dressed out in the open.

Once everyone was ready they all gathered around Big Boss for the details.

“In order for this to work, I’ll need all of your cooperation and attention. So listen closely.” Bigs separated everyone into small groups, giving them each a designation. “Sky and Sarge will be Blue Team; Courier and Bandit Yellow Team; Joker and myself will be Red Team; and Grim, Jaws and Loki on the Orange Team. Got it?”

Everyone gave varying levels of agreement.

“Excellent. Now here are your assignments…”

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

“Are we packed and ready?” Sarge walked over and asked. He was actively unknotting a tangled shoelace and looping it into a usable rope.

“Supplies are stowed in our inventories, the key is secure and the hitch is off the truck.” Grim responded. Everyone had filled their inventories to the brim, and the next stage of the operation had been gone over many times. Everyone had their assignments, and everyone understood their roles. 

The task of driving a human sized vehicle while only being six inches tall was a daunting job, and they only had one car.

There was no room for error.

The group had finally gathered together outside the driver side door. Bigs looked everyone over one last time.

“Are we ready to begin?” Everyone nodded in agreement, Bigs smirking excitedly. “Very well. May operation Big Rig begin!”

Everyone capable of teleporting brought the other Bitties inside the truck. It was extremely hot, enough to kill a normal animal or monster. Being only bones though, the heat only proved a minor annoyance.

Everyone was quick to get into position.

Big Boss and Joker climbed on top of the dashboard while Loki, Grim and Jaws positioned themselves by the pedals. Razz stood in front of the meter screen with Sky right behind the wheel, and both Slim Bitties waited by the cup holders. 

“Is everyone ready?” Big Boss waited for the others to answer back before continuing.

“Blue Team! Put the keys in the ignition.” The two did as told, Sarge lowering Sky down with the shoe lace so he could clumsily fumble with getting the bulky key inside the small slit. It took him a moment, but he finally managed to shove the thing into its proper slot.

“Key is in position!” Sky called up.

“Orange Team! Press down on the brake pedal.”

“Which one is the brake pedal again?” Jaws scratched his skull thoughtfully. 

“One on the left. Right one is gas.” Grim put both hands on the brake and pushed.

“Brake is pressed!” Loki called up.

“Turn the key!”

Sarge and Sky used their blue magic to twist it, the engine roaring to life and the vehicle shaking a bit at its power. 

“Yellow Team, set the stick to drive!” Courier climbed on top of the stick shift and squeezed the button on the side so it would move. Bandit surrounded it in blue magic and managed to get it back into the next gear with a grunt.

“S-stick is in position!” Bandit panted. Big Boss could only grin in anticipation. He eyed the area outside the windshield. It was tight, but if they managed to turn the wheel enough they could follow the dirt path without hitting any trees. They just needed to get around the looping curve.

“Excellent. Now Team Blue! Turn the wheel about two hundred sixty degrees to the left! Orange Team! Ease off the brake when Blue Team has finished their task!” Sarge and Sky used their magic to twist the wheel as instructed, the thing much easier to move with the engine running.

“Ease off the brakes when ready!” Sarge commanded. Jaws and Grim looked to each other and nodded.

“On the count of three.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three!”

The two lifted up and the entire vehicle lurched backwards. They continued to roll impacting hard against the camper, everyone falling over from the rough impact. 

“What the hell was that?!” Big Boss screeched. He looked over the dashboard trying to find the issue before blowing up. “Bandit! The gear is set in reverse you idiot! We need it set to drive!” The little Slim looked at the letters next to the stick, something finally clicking.

“Ohhhhh… ‘D’ stands for drive.”

“Of course ‘D’ stands for DRIVE!!! What did you THINK that letter meant?!?!”

“Well… ‘R’ is the second letter in drive, so-“ An enraged shriek stopped all of them.

“Guys, we got company.” The Sansy winced hearing another angry scream. Apparently the truck starting wasn’t enough to wake her, but rear ending the camper was. Karen was storming towards the truck with her hands still bound seeing the front half of the camper bent in. Joker hit the door lock button before the woman could open it.

“Get that gear into drive! Go! Go! Go!” Bigs screamed. The little Slims scrambled while the woman tried pulling open the passenger side door. Her jaw nearly hit the ground as soon as she saw who the car thieves were.

“BILL! They’re back and they're taking the truck! BILL!!!”

“Gear is in drive Sir!” Courier shouted. 

“Slowly hit the gas! We have no time to lose!”

“Here goes nothing.” Loki pushes his body into the gas pedal, the engine revving at the extra work and lurching the car forward. He released immediately as the others hit the brake.

“Don’t stop now or she’ll get in! Turn the wheel fifty degrees right!” The Bitties all did as instructed. The truck shot forwards again knocking the woman back and clipping the right front headlight against a tree. “Keep on the gas! Turn the wheel hard left! We can make it!” Sarge twisted the thing with his magic while Sky climbed on top and started running along the thing like a cartoon hamster. The truck turned farther left as the metal groaned while that same tree scraped loudly against the fender. Everyone winced as the sound traveled all the way through the truck, finally stopping when they passed the tree.

“Keep the wheel twisted! Just a few more trees to clear!” The woman quickly got out her phone and began recording when she realized the door wouldn’t budge.

“Ya know, this would be way easier if we could all see what was happening!” Loki growled as he and Grim switched between hitting the breaks and gas. Jaws had climbed up to the passenger window at this point, seeing the woman had rushed after them and was pounding on the glass.

“That’s what ya get for bein’ a bitch Karen! Should a’ been nice while ya had the chance!” Jaws taunted and flipped her the bird for good measure. She screamed at his obscenities before running into a tree by mistake.

“And that’s what she gets for not paying attention.” Joker winced. She hit that tree pretty dang hard. Everyone else flinched when the left front wheel hit something hard causing the whole car to lift up before dropping.

“It was a rock! Now start straightening the wheel!” Sky turned around on the wheel and Sarge twisted hard the other way. They were coming to the end of the small drive that was about to meet up with a worn asphalt path. 

“Once more! Make a hard left!” 

“Would you make up your damn mind!” Sarge snarled but did as instructed. The Baby Blue once again reversed his running on the wheel when the car jerked to a sudden halt.

“Grim! Just hover over the break! Don’t push it!” 

He did as Big Boss instructed. This time Loki put his shoulder against the gas and heaved. The whole truck lurching a bit more but coming through a nearly smooth turn.

They were making the left, but would run off road if they didn’t straighten.

“Right! Turn the wheel right! Hit the brake!” 

“Do you want to make a right turn or straighten up?” Sky question. 

“Straighten the damn wheel! Her boyfriend is coming!” Sure enough the guy from earlier was now sprinting down the path rushing right past the prone woman without giving her a second glance. 

“Get out of my baby!” He started yanking at the driver side door but this too was locked. Pounding on the window with his fist Loki hit the gas again and the car rolled forward at a steady eight miles per hour. He attempted to keep up with sprinting but tripped on a root and face planted. 

“Turn the wheel ten degrees right! Now fifteen degrees left!” Bigs continued shouting orders while Joker walked closer to the windshield, putting his hands against it trying to see past the long hood, though it was hard at this low angle.

“I can’t believe we’re actually driving-“ The entire vehicle jolted as it plowed over a sampling and went part way off road.

“Left! Left you idiots! Now a hundred degrees right and straighten! Joker! Keep checking the mirrors! No lollygagging!”

“Right away your royal butt munch.” Joker soluted and did as asked, Bigs way too busy screaming at everyone else to acknowledge what he said.

“... well, we’re kind of driving.” The Edgy shook his head and returned to his position with Grim and Loki. He’d tag in and out with them as needed. At this speed they were in for a long drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey we are back!
> 
> Some of you may or may not have noticed but I’ve done some editing to previous chapters, mainly removing the side plot with Chris. If you are new here and never even read that part, go ahead and ignore this.
> 
> Leave a comment if you want more! They always make my day.


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